Ghost
by HurricaneDrella
Summary: AU based on the movie Ghost. I suck at summaries and kind of at writing too but oh well. Enjoy, I guess.
_**Author's note: I hope this is kind of okay and it's, at least, moderately enjoyed. This is my second attempt at writing and I'm hoping it didn't come out too terribly bad. I really feel the need to thank and mention VausemanTayLaur because without her, I probably never would've even tried writing this. She also proof read it and helped me add to it, detail wise. I'm seriously thankful for her. So, without further ado, enjoy!**_

Alex and Diane were just leaving the theatre. They had seen one of Diane's favorite films in celebration of the raise she had gotten at work. Alex wasn't sure of the title; she just went to make her mother happy. After all, even at age 26, she's still momma's girl. She probably always would be. Diane is her rock. Her best friend.

They lived in a small part of New York. It certainly wasn't the best part of town, to say the least. They stayed in a shitty apartment on the edge of town that was, in all honesty, falling apart at the seams, but it was still home to the two women, just as it had been for the past 20 years. Diane worked 3 jobs to keep food on the table. Alex helped as much as she could but her art hadn't been selling as well lately. She had a small pottery business that she kept hoping would take off, though that dream always seemed further and further out of reach as time went by. She had offered to get another job to help her mom out in any way possible but Diane insisted that she focus solely on her art and her young adult life. Alex felt awful about the situation but her mother never missed a chance to assure her that it was absolutely no burden; she just wanted her baby girl to be happy.

They heard some banging around and yelling in the nearby alley way but ignored it. That was typical of this part of town. Tonight didn't seem any different. It was probably just a simple spousal fight, like every other night.

It wasn't until they were almost home that Alex noticed something out of the ordinary. They were being seemingly followed. She kept facing forward but linked her arm around Diane's shoulder. "Did you enjoy the movie?" she asked. Her mom smiled, "Of course I did, baby. Thank you so much." Alex smiled before pulling her mother closer. Alex whispered just loud enough for Diane to understand. "Keep facing forward. We're going to turn left on 10th street and head towards Nicky's apartment."

Diane did exactly as Alex instructed. "Lex, what's going on?" she asked in a calm and neutral tone. "No need to worry. There's this guy that seems a little shady that has been following us for a couple blocks." Diane didn't have time to reply before before a dark figure appeared before them. They came to a quick stop. It seemed as if they we're blocked from all possible escape routes.

"Give us your wallets."

The mysterious figure raised a gun.

Diane immediately threw her wallet out in front of her but noticed that her daughter hadn't done the same. She looked at Alex, "Listen to him, baby. Just give it to him. Please."

Alex looked at her mother's pleading eyes and dug out her wallet. She threw it about five feet in front of them, towards the armed man.

Neither of them noticed the necklace that made itself visible during the latter of events.

The man waved his gun in Alex's direction. "What do you have there around you neck, hot stuff?" Alex's hand flew to her neck, "Absolutely nothing of your concern."

The necklace had been a gift from her mom for her 18th birthday. It had taken Diane years to save up for the gift. It was a necklace in the shape of a daisy, embedded with emeralds with Alex's full name engraved on the back. It was her most prized possession. Daisies were her mom's favorite flower and Alex's eyes were a shade of emerald. Alex thought of it as a way to represent that her and her mother were always together.

The armed man moved forward with the gun pointed at Alex. At the same time, the figure that had been following them subdued Diane and put his hand over her mouth.

"One sound and your daughter dies." At the threat, Diane quickly became silent, not daring to risk her daughter's safety.

"I'm not giving it to you. You already have our wallets. Leave us alone."

The man got close enough to bring the gun directly to Alex's flesh.

She didn't flinch as she analyzed the situation before forming a plan. The younger brunette didn't hesitate as she struck. Her left hand grabbed her attacker. She then spun him around into a headlock.

She hadn't heard the gunshot. The next thing she heard through the adrenaline pounding in her ears was from the guy holding Diane. He was yelling and he sounded a mix of angry and scared. "What the fuck, Kyle?! You said it wasn't loaded. You said no one was going to get hurt."

"Shut the fuck up, Emmett."

Alex turned and saw Diane on the floor. _No. No no no no. This can't be happening._

"MOM!"

She flung the man out of her grip with every last ounce of her strength and he stumbled before falling to the ground. Once he struggled to his feet, both men fled the scene. Alex rushed to her mom's side and fell to her knees. "No. No. No. Mom. Wake up. You have to wake up."

Alex tried to stop the bleeding but it didn't help much.

She screamed out for help. People began to crowd her. The noise was a dull throb; she was too concentrated on her mother bleeding out in the middle of the street.

Meanwhile, Diane was standing outside the group of people yelling for Alex's attention.

"Alex! What's going on? Who's hurt? Alex!"

She heard sirens.

"Break it up, guys. Let us through. Move, move, move!"

Once the crowd cleared due to the arrival of the paramedics, she saw that there was a body on the stretcher. It was her own.

" _No. No, that can't be me. I'm right here. Lex and I both made it out safely. I can't be dead. Lex needs me. She needs me."_

She tried calling out to Alex again.

" _Alex! Baby. Can you hear me? Alex!"_

She spotted Alex sobbing and talking to an officer. She went to stand next to her. She tried to rest her hand on Alex's arm, but the gesture didn't even seem to cause her daughter to flinch. The sobs still racked her body.

"I can't believe she's gone. My best friend is actually dead and it's all my fault. I should've just given him the necklace. Maybe then she wouldn't be dead. Please officer, you gave to catch them. Please." Alex struggled to get her breathing under control. "Ma'am, can you tell us anything about your attackers?"

Alex took a few deep breaths before answering as clearly as she possibly could.

"There's not much. They were two guys about 6 feet tall each. I think they were Caucasian but I couldn't testify to that. I heard them refer to each other as Kyle and Emmet. Kyle had longish dark hair and Emmett had short dirty blonde hair."

"Thank you ma'am. We appreciate the help. We'll be on the lookout. Here's my card," Alex took the card, "call me if you need absolutely anything. Especially if you remember something about the men. We'll be in touch. Can I give you a ride home?" Alex shook her head, "I'll, uh, I'll be okay. I think I'm going to walk. Thanks though. Uh, bye, I guess."

Alex headed home on foot.

 _Home. If you could even call it that. Nowhere feels like home without Diane._

Every step she took was shaky and she wasn't walking in a straight line. The brunette could barely see through the tears blurring her vision. She stumbled up the stairs to their 5th floor apartment.

She unlocked the door and slammed it shut so hard, the picture frames shook on the wall. One picture in specific crashed to the floor due to the wall vibrations. Alex picked it up and saw it was one of her and Diane. She set it on the table as a thought crossed her mind, " _The pictures are shattering just like my very world. Great."_

She made her way down the short hallway. When she got to Diane's room, she crashed into the bed and inhaled her mother's scent deeply. Sobs began to rack her body once more, as she laid face first in the pillows. She cried for what seemed like hours. Alex swore she could legitimately feel her heart shattering into a million pieces. Occasionally she mumbled incoherent phrases that resembled, "She can't be gone. I need her. I need her."

Diane's assumed ghost form sat watching her from the corner, in the rocking chair. Her heart was, too, in pieces and her eyes were glassy with tears. Alex didn't deserve to feel so alone at such a young age. There had to be a way to make this situation better than it was. There had to be and Diane was determined to figure out how.


End file.
